Tuesday March 19th, 2024 7:06AM

Battle-tested Dragons ready to pull off another road win in championship series

ROSWELL -- Forget “Mad Max,” Jefferson baseball might as well be re-making its own movie of similar vein this spring -- starring as themselves in “The Road Warrior(s).”

The Dragons have won three straight playoff series away from home -- including two Game 3s -- displaying the kind of grit and determination usually reserved for the silver screen, to maraud their way into the first state championship series.

Saturday, Jefferson hopes to provide its fans with the ultimate final scene -- a state title victory, as they head on the road one last time to face defending champ Blessed Trinity for the Class AAA crown.

With the way they have performed so far this postseason, who could doubt their championship credentials? Certainly not their coach.

“This group has just been so tough and resilient,” Dragons coach Tommy Knight said. “We have a phrase we keep using: ‘battle-tested.’ There’s not a whole lot that can happen in the playoffs that hasn’t happened to us.”

Jefferson has built a deep self-belief through facing down those challenges.

After a straightforward, two-game sweep of Lumpkin County at home to open the postseason, the Dragons took to the road.

The second round saw Jefferson face perhaps its toughest test of playoffs -- at least so far -- as they trekked all the way to Blackshear (just north of the Okefenokee Swamp) to take on Pierce County. After shocking the hosts for a 2-0 Game 1 win, the Dragons watched Pierce fight back to knot the series. But it was Jefferson that landed the final blow, edging out Pierce 8-7 to move on to the quarterfinals.

The Dragons’ third round series win may have come via a sweep -- but it was by no means easy, as Jefferson used every ounce of its determination to land a 5-3 Game 1 win in 11 innings at Callaway. The victory paved the way for a 3-0 Game 2 victory and moved Jefferson on to its third postseason destination: Atlanta, for a series with Westminster.

The Class AAA “Final Four” brought with it not only another three-game slugfest, but one that also included a wildcard -- as Mother Nature intervened to force a one-day postponement. Thanks to a doubleheader split, Jefferson wrapped its series on Wednesday night -- meaning that the Dragons will have less than 72 hours to rest before a 4:30 p.m. Saturday showdown with Blessed Trinity.

Is that any concern for the road warriors? What do you think?

“We’re not going to back away from anybody or any challenge,” Knight said. “The kids have built a belief in themselves, and they feel ready for anything. It really elevated with that Pierce County series. It was so hostile, and we were playing a really good opponent, and to win in the last inning... that was just fun, and it was so big for confidence.”

It also helps that Jefferson has a pitching staff that is both dominant and deep.

“We’ve got six guys that can all go; that’s pretty rare,” Knight said. “Micah Carpenter is our No. 1; he’s 8-3 and is our leader. Ethan Garner is our No. 2. Then you have Jake Franklin, Taylor Wilkes, Asher Standridge -- who has been huge this playoffs; he got both wins in our extra inning games -- and Christian Hutch. We feel confident putting any one of them out there.”

Carpenter, a Georgia Tech signee, has not only been a big performer, but also brings an edge that has only added to the teams’ toughness.

“He’s been a warrior for four years; he’s emotional and is one of our toughest competitors,” Knight said. “They rally around him, and he wants the pressure.”

The senior will get his wish this weekend, as they present a hard-hitting line-up that averaged 8.6 runs through four postseason series. The Titans also feature stout pitching and have not faced a Game 3 in 2015.

“Their No. 1 and 2 pitchers are excellent,” Knight said. “They each throw two-three pitches for strikes and get a lot of ground balls and let their defense work behind them and keep their pitch counts down.

“They won’t beat themselves. There really are no holes in that team, and we’ll have to play as well as we have all season.”

These Dragons are just itching to prove it once again.

“If we can get consistency from up and down the order we have a chance,” Knight said. “These guys believe in themselves and are fired up for this.”

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